Sigma Xi Awards Research Grants to Students

January 30, 2018

First grant in climate science awarded

The Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research (GIAR) program has been funding research by undergraduate and graduate students since 1922. In the fall 2017 cycle, the Society awarded 121 grants totaling $116,096 to students. The Committee on Grants-in-Aid of Research, chaired by Peter J. Harries of North Carolina State University, selected 27 undergraduate students, 25 master’s students, and 69 doctoral candidates to receive grants. The awardees are from three countries.

For the first time, the program awarded a grant from its newest category: climate science. Anna Knochel, an undergraduate student at Rice University studying ecology and evolutionary biology, will use the $764 grant to investigate the role that viruses play in coral reef ecosystems.

“More than anything, receiving this grant has helped solidify my confidence as a researcher,” said Knochel. This is her first grant.

The grants are made possible by designated funds from the National Academy of Sciences and from gifts. Eighteen percent of the grant applications received in the fall 2017 cycle were funded. More grants could be awarded in future cycles if more donations are received. To support GIAR, go to https://ecommerce.sigmaxi.org/ecom/#donate.

Sigma Xi thanks the following reviewers who evaluated 661 grant applications in the fall 2017 cycle.

More About Sigma Xi: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society is the world’s largest multidisciplinary honor society for scientists and engineers. Its mission is to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition. Sigma Xi chapters can be found at colleges and universities, government laboratories, and industry research centers around the world. More than 200 Nobel Prize winners have been members. The Society is based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. www.sigmaxi.org. On Twitter: @SigmaXiSociety.